


What is my strength, that I should hope

by Lynarii



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Religious Undertones, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-20 14:20:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11922705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynarii/pseuds/Lynarii
Summary: On the journey to find her son, Lynn Lockwood has the future of the Commonwealth on her shoulders.Her personal mission will have long lingering consequences, which she realises all too well.So she keeps everyone's best interests in mind, all while fighting Raiders, the Institute and her own feelings on surviving the end of the world.In the Brotherhood of Steel, the General finds an unexpected ally (and maybe even love).





	1. What is my strength...

**Author's Note:**

> What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life? Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass? Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me? To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty. (Job 6:11-14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynn continues to the next town and meets a group of strangers that don't shoot on sight.

The Commonwealth at sunrise.

With the sun gleaming through the abandoned buildings and the whispers of morning mist still flowing above the ground, it seemed almost a peaceful place. Yet after nearly two months of wandering this Wasteland, Lynn knew that peaceful was the last word she would use. The silence of the morning could be broken by anything from feral ghouls to irradiated creatures to raiders, something she had learned the hard way several times over.

She neared Cambridge with a deep lying tension in her mind. With everything that had happened in the past weeks since she stepped out of the Vault, visiting a ‘new’ city seemed like a death defying experience. She knew Cambridge, of course. She had spent years here as a student for her Law Degree. But those days were over and she doubted College Square would have the same relaxed atmosphere it had back in the day. Worst case, the same number of people remained, either undead or still alive. From raiders in Concord to even more raiders in Corvega and the ghouls in Lexington; places with lots of people were something to avoid.

However, the caravans that regularly visited Sanctuary and Abernathy told her that the city was relatively quiet. No creatures or people, just a lone feral or two. Lynn also knew this could change in a heartbeat. Gangs of raiders roamed the Commonwealth like locusts, taking over any free spot they could get their hands on. So, when she walked the wrecked main road leading to Cambridge, she still did so with caution.

For a brief period she travelled over the sandy paths next to the main road, hoping to find cover in the trees should it be necessary. But the caravans had been true to their word. This area was quiet, almost too quiet. Nothing indicated there was any kind of life present and she wished she had brought Dogmeat to give her someone to talk too. The silence was deafening and thinking was fatal. Lynn took a step from behind the trees, nearing the road that lead through the city and into Boston.

No more than a second later, the sounds of an explosion filled the once calm area.

Lynn’s mind went on full alert, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. Her eyes scanned the horizon, looking for the source. There was no mushroom cloud, so it wasn’t nuclear. Immediately, her heartbeat calmed down considerably. No car then, which could only mean it was a grenade, mine or missile. Neither of them exploded without cause.

This could only mean there was life in Cambridge. Active, thinking life that was fighting for food or survival. She hoped that it was just a group of feral dogs passing through, or a lost pack of mole rats feeding on scraps. Or it could mean raiders or gunners. While she had never met the gunners before, Preston told her about what happened in Quincy and she wasn’t looking forward to meeting them. For the time being, she dove back to the side and took cover behind the remains of a large tree.

The main road leading into Cambridge was blocked with wrecked cars and half-build reinforcements. There were skeletons spread all over, but looking closer she saw a ‘fresh’ body hanging from a pole. So there were raiders here after all, Lynn pondered with a frown. Silence reigned once more, and she took another few careful steps forward. Something about the city – about the sudden silence – made the hairs on her neck stand up. She also knew that she had no other choice than to continue. Cambridge was the quickest way to Diamond City and thus to a lead where they had taken her son. If there were raiders or gunners or whatever, she just needed to take the chance and hope she could avoid direct contact.

She took a few more steps, pausing cautiously as she spotted the frag mines scattered across the road. They were disarmed quickly enough. The bodies of two ghouls lay near one of the cars, filled with several holes with burn marks around the entry wounds. There were no bullet casings, which surprised her. She hadn’t seen anyone use a laser-based weapon besides Preston. Someone had been here recent enough that no predator or bird had the chance to eat the remains yet. Someone with advanced weaponry.

She took another step forward.

The moment she entered the city limits, her Pip-Boy activated on its own. Lynn raised her eyebrows. The last time it did something similar, there had been a radio tower broadcasting about a safe place for military personnel. It seemed unlikely that there still were people out there, but she had taken her chances and went to look anyway.

The place had been overtaken by raiders a long time ago, and the two scars that now adorned her right leg were a sure sign it wasn’t as safe as the broadcast made it out to be. It had ruined the jeans she had been wearing, so now she had nothing but the wastelander outfit she gathered from a body near Sanctuary. But the raiders were now dead, so she got the better part of the deal.

The blinking of her Pip-Boy distracted her from her thoughts. What if this was different? Maybe there were still people out there, honest people who needed help. Preston had seemed so surprised at her intention to help and she now understood why. Her immediate reaction to a call for help was still to assist, even though the chance of a trap was almost certain. The ‘what if’ wouldn’t leave her alone though, and she knew, she knew she at least had to listen.

Quickly Lynn looked around and located a store that seemed abandoned enough. With fast paces, she walked over and settled down behind the counter. The light and sound from her Pip-Boy would draw enough attention as it were, so she hoped that the cover would be enough to keep any remains ghouls – or whatever had killed the previous ones – from noticing her. A few twists on the knobs of the radio transmitter and she tuned in on whatever was broadcasting.

To her surprise, the voice didn’t come from a machine.

"Automated message repeating: This is Scribe Haylen of recognisance squad Gladius to any unit within transmission range. Authorization Arx Ferrum 9-5. Our unit has sustained casualties, and we’re running low on supplies. We’re requesting support or evac from our position at Cambridge police station."

The signal stopped, then repeated itself once more. Lynn stared at the screen in suspicion. The other broadcast had seemed real as well and that turned out to be a total disaster.

In the distance, she could hear the sound of another explosion and realised that if the call for help was real, it was recent and she wasn't far off. She also realised that she had no other choice but to check it out. She stood up, took her combat knife out of her holster again and ran in the direction of the battle.

It took no more than five minutes before she saw the first of the ghouls. There were six standing right in front of her, their backs turned, making their way over to a heavily fortified location. Standing on a raised platform were two people; someone in a suit of power armour and another in a bright orange uniform Lynn didn't recognise. From the other side of the street there were at least ten more ferals walking over, with even more crowded around one of the fortifications below. It wouldn't be long before they breached it.

Without hesitating one moment Lynn sprinted to the ghoul closest to her and stabbed it in the back. It went down with a loud groan, attracting the attention of the ones closest to it. Two of them attack Lynn at the same time. She quickly slashed one of them in the stomach, then brought her knife down on the second one. The first one wasn't dead yet, and came back to tackle her. She stepped to the side, but not in time for her to fully get out of the way. The feral scratched her arm before falling to the floor. Annoyed, Lynn walked over and stabbed it in its stomach. She turned, and saw that the lower compartment had been breached. The ghouls were making their way to the building fast.

Lynn ran back to the battle, taking down two more before entering the fortification. The one in the power armour now stood in the centre of the fortification, doing their best to hold back the ferals. “Civilian in the perimeter! Check your fire!” He yelled out when she entered and for a moment she felt insulted, but she realised that now wasn’t the time to be snarky about it.

The sheer amount of ferals was overwhelming. The uniformed soldier that had been next to him on top of the fence was now kneeling next to another person in a different uniform. He sat against the wall with a pained expression. Blood was flowing steadily from a deep cut on his side.

Quickly she aided the remaining fighter, throwing herself to the group of ferals. In the heat of battle, she lost count of how many she had to take down, but she slashed the neck of a particular feisty one and suddenly everything was quiet.

Lynn observed the situation around her, not moving a muscle. She was panting from the fighting and could feel a few tears in the wastelander outfit she had scavenged, but the wounds underneath didn’t hurt bad enough to be of concern. Rotten, irradiated blood pooled in the small courtyard created by the fences and the smell nearly made her gag. Although she was standing at a small distance, she could see that these were not just the junk fences employed by most raiders. These were military grade, sturdy. Professional.

Did the army survive the war after all?

She turned back to the police station, where the soldier in the power armor was watching over his team. The second soldier, a woman, was taking care of the man on the ground. The one in power armor seemed aware of her, but didn't consider her big enough of a threat to deal with immediately.

Lynn walked over to them with care, not holstering her knife just yet. It was the soldier on the ground who first noticed her, and nodded in her direction to get the others to notice her. The girl tending to him looked up at her and smiled, which greatly put Lynn at ease.

Raiders never smiled.

"We appreciate the assistance, civilian. But what’s your business here?” The person in combat armor turned his body, forming a barrier between her and his team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we go. My magnum opus which will be at least fifty chapters once it's done. 
> 
> For those who read the stories of smut, this is only related in that Lynn has the same looks. Her personality is totally different, as while writing her story she got more and more developed into the character she is now. The stories of smut is me getting rid of the frustration of writing a slow burn, but not related to this story at all. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	2. ArcJet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynn meets the unknown team who seems to know what they're doing, and helps them further their cause.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is ridiculously long. I want to say 'I'm sorry', but instead I will say 'enjoy'.

Lynn was surprised at the soldier in power armor talking to her. It had been a while since someone she didn’t know just talked instead of shooting first. His voice was deep, serious and with an air of authority that surprised her. But there was caution as well, nothing like the raiders she had encountered at the military site. Whoever they were, these soldiers were legit.

“Pest control. I heard you had a feral problem.” She answered with a grin, not sure where that answer had come from. Normally she wasn’t the one for sarcasm, but it just seemed to fit. She rested one of her hands on her hip, keeping her combat knife ready in the other. Just in case.

“Evading my questions is a sure way to get you evicted from the compound.” The man glowered at her, “Are you from a local settlement?”

Lynn flinched slightly. No sarcasm then.

She wanted to answer honestly, but since she had no idea who these people are and what their intentions were, she decided against mentioning Sanctuary. The last thing she wanted was to lure trouble to Preston and the rest, not after they finally found a peaceful place to call home.

“I’m from Vault 111.” She answered, so at least she wasn’t lying.

“You’re a Vault Dweller?” His eyes opened in shock. The tone of his voice was surprised and at the same time… She couldn’t place it, but she realised that maybe being a ‘Vault Dweller’ wasn’t a good thing. Lynn made a mental note to ask the people in Sanctuary about it once she got back, in case it might cause her trouble if she mentioned it to the wrong person.

“Most people won’t admit to such a thing. I appreciate your honesty.” He replied, his expression softening slightly. “If I appear suspicious, it’s because our mission here has been difficult. Since the moment we’ve arrived in the Commonwealth we’ve been constantly under fire.” He thought for a second. “If you want to continue pitching in, we could use an extra gun on our side.”

Lynn raised an eyebrow at him, thinking about the weapon she carried. "Well, I'm not much of a gun person, but if you could use a knife then count me in, I guess.”

“You don’t carry guns with you at all?” He asked her. She shook her head.

“Not at the moment anyway. I had a scoped combat rifle, but I had to scrap it to get to the copper inside. Long story. I’m still looking for one to replace it, but most raider only carry low-quality pipe pistols and those are just not worth the trouble.” She realised she was losing sight of the conversation and steered back to the topic at hand, “Look, you guys seem legit and I want to help, really, but I don’t like the secrecy.” Lynn answered, looking him in the eyes. “Who are you?”

“Very well.” The soldier replied reluctantly, realising that he at least owned a little explanation. “I’m Paladin Danse, Brotherhood of Steel. Over there, Scribe Haylen and Knight Rhys. We’re on recon duty, but I’m down several men and our supplies are running low. I’ve been trying to send a distress call to my superiors, but the signal is too weak to reach them.”

“Sir, if I may?” The girl interrupted before Lynn could introduce herself or ask any questions. She recognised her voice from the automated call. Like Paladin Danse, she had a hood covering her hair. Her complexion was much paler, with her entire face covered in light freckles.

“Proceed, Haylen.” He nodded at her, stepping out of the way slightly.

“I’ve modified the radio tower on the roof of the police station, but I’m afraid the signal still isn’t strong enough. We need something that will boost it.” The girl, Haylen, explained. Lynn nodded.

“Our target is ArcJet Systems, which should contain the technology we need to boost the signal; a Deep Range Transmitter. With that, we can send a signal back to the Capital Wasteland.” Paladin Danse continued. “It is my goal to infiltrate the facility, secure the transmitter and bring it back here. So, what do you say? You willing to lend the Brotherhood of Steel a hand?”

It took a moment for Lynn to register that she’d been asked a question. With everything she just heard, she realised there was also a world of information she still missed. Her focus had always been the Commonwealth, she had never even considered what was going on in the rest of the country. Were the Brotherhood of Steel the remains of the army? What were they doing here in the first place?

Then again, they hadn’t attacked her. There were no body parts lying around, nor any pots of boiling human remains. Whoever this Brotherhood of Steel was, Lynn realised she felt comfortable enough to keep the questions for later.

“It's a good plan, if we make it back.” She said with a smile, showing him she wasn’t being serious.

“I can assure you that I wouldn't undertake this mission unless I had confidence in your abilities.” He said, clearly not realising her jest. She let out a sigh and just nodded again. Commanding officers without a sense of humour, this definitely screamed military to her.

The paladin turned and walked to the entrance of the police station. Haylen was standing over the other soldier, Rhys, who was still sitting with a pained expression.

“Haylen, take Rhys inside and bind his wounds.”

“Yes sir!”

“Rhys, once you’re on your feet, I want you to make sure the perimeter is secure.”

“I’m on it.” Rhys said with a pained tone.

“Alright civilian, it’s time to prove your worth. Head into the police station and resupply yourself, then let me know when you are ready to begin.”

Lynn walked passed the soldiers sitting near the entrance.

“Need a hand with anything?” She offered. Rhys looked up with a glare and was about to say something when Haylen stepped between them.

“Nope, I got this, it isn’t the first time I had to do this. You go ahead and follow Paladin Danse.” She grinned and turned back, “Alright, big guy, let’s go.”

She heard Rhys give a muttered reply as she entered the station and looked around. The inside of the police station was a mess. Broken desks, broken ceilings and broken doors. Rubble filled the rooms to the side of the main hall. There were three bedrolls in the main area, next to each other. She walked to the left, hoping to find a place with running water to clean herself up.

The tap in the restrooms was still in working order, to Lynn’s delight. As she let the tap run, she took off the jacket of the outfit she was currently. With a piece of cloth she had left from a scavenged long john she started cleaning her wounds. There were a few small scratches on her arms and one on her stomach, but she was most worried about the bite mark on her leg. However, there was nothing she could do about it now so she wrapped a piece of cloth around it and prayed it wouldn’t get infected.

When she came back to the main area, Rhys was back on his feet and looking at her with sheer suspicion, but he didn’t speak.

“Ready to move out?” The paladin asked her. She nodded.

“Outstaying. Follow me and try not to lag behind.”

The paladin walked over to the counter in the main area and grabbed the helmet of his power armor. This made Lynn more nervous then she expected; where were they going that he expected to need his helmet where he didn’t need it for the previous battle? She thought of herself, in nothing but her wastelander outfit, and decided that this couldn’t end well.

He flipped the helmet in his hands before putting it on and Lynn did a double-take. Of all the possible things she thought could happen, she never expected such a gesture from him. From what she had seen so far, Paladin Danse was the example of the perfect soldier: serious and calm. A born leader. But a helmet flip? Whatever image she had of him faded in an instance and she felt herself grow curious to who was hidden beneath all the power armor.

He refitted the helmet of his power armor and took the lead, exiting the building with quick paces. The sudden departure shook her awake and Lynn felt the blood rise to her cheeks. She cursed herself for letting her thoughts wander like that, especially about someone she just met. She quickly followed him without saying anything to the other two.

Before she exited, she could hear Haylen wonder if they would be able to keep their location. She wondered what a Behemoth was, but decided that at the moment she didn’t want to know. There was a lot of this world that she didn’t want to know.

Once they were outside, the Paladin immediately turned left. “We’ll take this alley. Follow me. ArcJet is a short hike to the west. If we take this road, we should be able to avoid the larger packs of ferals infesting Cambridge.”

Lynn scowled. So the intel the caravan had given her turned out to be wrong after all. When she saw the ghouls she had hoped the pack had been the only one and realized that she was lucky not to have encountered them by herself when she first entered the city. If she had, she wouldn’t be around anymore. Maybe she was lucky that the Brotherhood had decided to make an improvised base in the police station, or maybe their presence was what had lured the ghouls there in the first place. Either way, the next time that caravan came around, she needed to inform them about either checking their data or on the new development.

“Traveling this far from the police station is a risk, but getting that transmitter up and running needs to be our top priority. If it was up to me, I’d relocate my team, but Scribe Haylen detected some disturbing energy readings in the area that need to be investigated. We don’t know much about them, except that they’re short-lived and broadcast on a frequency only obtainable with a high level of technology. We’re concerned that whoever or whatever is creating those energy readings might be a potential threat, so it’s our job to investigate.”

As they walked, Lynn could see a group of people in the distance hiding underneath a bridge. There were five of them, with a body of a pack brahmin between them.

Raiders.

Without waiting for Paladin Danse to respond Lynn sprinted forward, anger fuelling her attack. Whenever she encountered these people, there were always innocent victims. Settlers, traders; people trying to survive, just like her.

When she first encountered raiders in the Wasteland, in Concord, she had tried to reason. She talked, begged for them to stop. It had only gotten her nearly shot. With Dogmeat by her side, that day was the first time she had taken someone’s life. And then again, and again as she aided Preston and his group. There was no time to think, only to survive.

But that night, when she finally could rest in the remains of what was once her house, she had broken down. She cried and begged and prayed God to forgive her for what she had done. But there was no justification, there never was and she realised this all too well. But she killed nonetheless, to save herself and find her family. In this new world, she had no other choice and worse still, she excelled in it. In her heart, she prayed that there was a reason for this skill and that God planned for this all along.

The only thing she could hope for was that, in the end, He could forgive her for what she could never forgive herself.

The laser fire of Paladin Danse had already taken out two raiders by the time she reached them. Their focus was too much on evading the gunshots, so she had no resistance when she took down the first one with a quick stab to their neck. Only then did they realise there was a second threat, as Lynn stabbed another in their stomach before taking shelter behind a ruined car. One of the raiders followed her, brandishing a tire iron. Before he could strike down, she ducked and swung her knife at his legs. A deep cut made him recoil in pain, giving Lynn the time to stand up and use the momentum to stab him in the side of his torso, where the armor didn’t provide coverage. He fell to the floor, coughing up blood. Behind her, the Paladin had taking care of the rest of the raiders.

“I thought your use of nothing but melee was exaggerated, but it seems I was mistaken.” He overlooked the damage she did, obviously impressed. “When we are in ArcJet, there is a good chance we will be fighting in more cramped conditions. In that case, I request that you don’t run ahead of me since there might be a chance you will be caught in the crossfire.”

Lynn nodded, her eyes moving to the bodies lying beside the brahmin. Traders, she knew that much, because she recognised them.

The caravan that told her Cambridge was save.

She closed her eyes, hiding her tears of anger. She knew there wasn’t any time to bury the bodies, there never was. Still, she walked over to them and knelt down, taking the rosary from one of her pockets. She could hear Danse say something, but she ignored it. This was the least she could do for those who died, and in her mind she recited the prayer she had to use far too often.

Once she was done, she put the rosary back in her pocket and walked over to Danse, who was waiting for her on the other side of the bridge. “I’m sorry, this caravan is one that I’ve traded with in the past. It didn’t feel right to leave without praying for them.”

“There’s no need to apologize, civilian. When you are ready, we can continue.”

Lynn nodded again and they took off. The fact that the Paladin was willing to wait and not dismissive of her gesture gave her hope. Maybe religion wasn’t as rare as it sometimes seemed.

“Paladin Danse, can I ask you somethings about the Brotherhood? I’m afraid haven’t heard of your organisation before and I’m rather curious.” She spoke with cation, hoping she wouldn’t offend him.

“Not at all. I’m not surprised that you haven’t encountered us before, even if my recon team isn’t the first to visit the Commonwealth.”

“So the Brotherhood isn’t a group that’s based here?” She asks before she can contain herself. He turns his head to her, but the helmet covers his face and Lynn can’t read what he thinks of this.

“No, not yet. The faction I am with from is based in the Capital Wasteland.”

“I take it that’s around the ruins of Washington DC?” She asked.

“Correct. Over the last seven years, two other teams were sent here by the Brotherhood to gather technology. The first team’s mission was a huge success. They came back with crates full of pre-war artifacts and historical documents.”

Lynn lifted her head and nearly stopped walking. The Brotherhood collected information about the life before the bombs? The life she had led? For her, while it was centuries away, it seemed only yesterday that she worked in her green garden, planting bright coloured flowers. Walking into a house with air-conditioning and taking an ice-cold Nuka-Cola from the fridge. Sitting on the couch with the lights dimmed to watch one of those scary thrillers Nathan loved so much.

The last thought shook her awake as she felt her heart pick up speed and her breath escape from her lungs. She blinked hard, getting rid of the tears, realising that this was not the moment to linger or get lost in memories.

“The second wasn’t so fortunate.” Danse continued, unaware of her reaction, “Shortly after they arrived, we lost contact with them and they haven’t been heard from since. As far as my team goes, we’ve lost four good men to this godforsaken wasteland.”

Lynn didn’t reply, but she felt another pang of nausea hit her. Godforsaken seemed like the best description of this new world she had heard in a long time.

“We’ve been a target from the moment we’ve arrived.” Paladin Danse bitterly continued, “But despite our setbacks, I don’t intent to give up and head home.” There was a short pause. “…or end up missing.”

For a moment they continued in silence, giving Lynn time to reflect on everything she had learned in the past few hours. She went from exploring a new city to assisting what could possibly be the last pieces of the army remaining out there. While she realised it made no sense because 200 years was too long for everything to remain the same, she felt the same vibe with Paladin Danse and his team as she had with Nathan and his battalion. And she quickly realised it made her feel comfortable. Like something from the old world she could hang on to.

“We’ve got company!” The paladin suddenly yelled. Lynn’s head snapped up to see a group of mongrels directly on their path. She took out two of them with a quick slash and stab. In the distance, she saw the building.

“There it is. ArcJet Systems. There shouldn’t be any exterior security, so we’ll head in through the front.”

Lynn followed Paladin Danse, making sure she stayed sheltered behind his power armor. After everything she had experienced so far, she didn’t trust there wouldn’t be a nasty surprise waiting for them near or in that building.

Danse halted near the entrance and turned to her.

“Listen up. We do this clean and quiet. No heroics and by the book. Understand?”

“Understood. Let’s get this done.” She smiled.

“I don’t plan on rushing through the facility without extreme caution.” Danse replied. Lynn had to stifle a laugh and wondered if the Paladin even had a sense of humour.

“Contrary to what you might believe,” He continued, “I’d like you to remain alive during the course of our mission.”

Immediately Lynn felt her cheeks lit up, realising he was thinking primarily of her safety. She nodded at him.

From a side holster on his power armor, he pulled out a silenced 10mm pistol.

“Here, you can use this for the time being.” He handed it over to Lynn. She nodded and thanked him, but felt her heartbeat increase tenfold. She didn’t like pistols. At all.

“Remember, our primary target is the Deep Range Transmitter. Stay focused and check your fire. I don’t want to be hit by stray bullets.”

He turned back to the facility and entered, his gun at the ready.

The entrance hall was a mess, even worse than the police station. The stairs had collapsed completely, the debris scattered across the room.

“It was corporations like this that put the last nail in the coffin for mankind.” Danse suddenly spoke. “They exploited technology for their own gains, pocketing the cash and ignoring the damage they’d done.”

Lynn was surprised at the amount of disgust in his voice. It mirrored the voices of so many of her peers back before the war. She figured the Brotherhood had a lot of information saved and gathered if he was so informed on the history of the world.

“Well, you’re not wrong.” Lynn sighed as she took a good look around her. She could recognise the sleek, modern designs made popular by the big companies of the time. ArcJet, Mass Fusion, RobCo.

Vault-Tec.

“The justice system was none existent if you had the money. Companies like these, they did what they want, paid off their dues and continued like nothing happened. Most of the people were too busy trying to survive to care about what they did, anyway.”

“You are familiar with pre-war history?” Paladin Danse asked her while they continued through the hallways. Lynn didn’t have the chance to answer before he held out his hand, holding her back. “Something’s not right.”

He turned the corner, and she swore she heard him sigh.

“Well, it appears as though the facility’s automated security’s already been dealt with.”

“I want to say that’s a good thing. Less security to deal with.” Lynn walked in, looking at the remains of the protectrons, “But my guess is that instead, we need to deal with whatever did this.”

“Unfortunately, you’re right. There isn’t a single spent ammunition casing or drop of blood in sight. These robots were assaulted by Institute synths.”

“Institute? Who are they?” Lynn dropped her head to her shoulder. Was there another force in the Commonwealth besides raiders, gunners and super mutants that she needed to be worried about?

“They’re a group of scientists who went underground when the Great War started. Spent the last few decades littering the Commonwealth with their technological nightmares.”

“Such as synths? Isn’t that the same as ‘robot’?” She asked.

“They’re an abuse of technology created by the Institute. The first synths were maybe meant as robots. But the newest synths are undesignable from human beings. There have been cases of people being ‘replaced’ by synthetic versions, programmed to be Institute spies. They are nothing but abominations meant to ‘improve’ upon humanity. It’s unacceptable, they simply can’t be allowed to exist.”

Lynn felt bile rise up in her stomach. Human copies made in a laboratory?

“Okay, I understand. I’ll be on the lookout.” She grimly replied, the nauseous feeling not leaving her.

“Roger that. Let’s move out.”

She and Danse continued, with Lynn being careful not to walk too much in front of him. The corridors were barely big enough for him to walk through with his power armor, but the collapsed ceilings and walls made it even trickier than it was.

After a few minutes, they reached a larger, open room with several adjacent offices.

“This place is a mess but I can still see a few pieces of salvage that the Brotherhood could be interested in. After we’re done here, I’ll have to mark this place for a sweep and retrieve.”

“So, you do gather information about pre-war life?” She asked, unable to contain her curiosity any longer. “I admit, from the heavy reinforcements I thought you were just another army.”

“Correct. It is one of the main goals of the Brotherhood. By securing technology we can prevent humanity from making the mistakes they did long ago. Personally, I see value in both history and tech, but this isn’t shared by many of my peers.”

“Is there much remaining after 200 years?” Lynn carefully asked. On one side, she was desperate to know just how much of her old life remained. But, on the other, every little bit remaining took her back to the life she had lost, and the people she had lost. And so many things reminded her of Nate and it just hurt.

“You’d be surprised. Of course, a lot has been lost in the chaotic years right after the bombs fell, but bit by bit the Brotherhood is able to form a complete picture about pre-war tech and life. With every new area we explore, more information is added.”

Lynn nodded but stayed silent, the thought of Nate still burning in her mind. Every time he entered her mind, even just in passing, was enough for her to feel the pain of losing him all over again.

They continued in silence. A few hallways further, they reached a room with only closed doors.

“Looks like a dead end. See if you can find a way to get that door open. I’m going to reconnoitre the area.”

Lynn didn’t have the guts to say anything, so she settled herself behind the terminal like she knew what she was doing. She never got along well with technology and hacking wasn’t something she had ever tried to do before.

After three failed attempts and a loud smack against the screen, she gave up. Meanwhile, Danse was looking over a separate databank computer, not noticing her struggle. With a frustrated glare she looked around the office, hoping for something – anything – that could help her along.

Against the wall stood another terminal, this one fully functional and logged in. Hoping for the best she walked over to it, preparing to stab the screen if necessary.

To her utter surprise, it had an old message with the new password for all the systems. With a triumphant cheer she walked back to the first computer and found her way in. Opening the door was a piece of cake.

“Nice work,” Danse complimented her and she nodded with a smile, “Let’s get mov-“

A blue laser beam seared past her head the moment the doors opened.

“Synth ambush! Light them up!” Danse yelled as she ducked for cover. She sprinted to the pillar in the middle of the room and hid behind it, heart beating in her throat at the sudden attack. Carefully, she peeked around the corner as the Paladin fired on their enemy.

The synths he talked about were… androids? Metal insides with covers to give them a humanlike appearance. Some were barely more than skeletons, others had full plating and even armour.

There was no time for Lynn to continue her train of thought, as two synths had broken from the group and were approaching her rapidly. As she hit one of them with her combat knife, a piece of the plating came loose, revealing the wires within. Lynn recoiled slightly in shock, disturbed by the sight of a metal skeleton with wired arteries. The synth didn’t give her a chance to look again as he brought down the baton and hit her hard against her left shoulder. She cried out in pain, repaying the synth by stabbing it and cutting through part of the wires. One of his arms fell limb. She swiped, taking out the stomach and dodged the other one trying to hit her. Another stab took out the first one and it fell to the floor with a loud bang.

Quickly she turned and faced the other one. She was too late, it had raised its baton and brought it down hard, hitting her left shoulder again. She felt something snap and cried out louder, letting her arm hang down her body. Furious, she blocked the next attack and forced herself forward, hitting it in the face before it could recover. She withdrew her knife, then cut the wires sticking out of its chest. It didn’t get back up.

On the other side of the room, Paladin Danse was fighting off three more. Lynn quickly grabbed a stimpack, keeping her arm as still as possible as she injected herself near the rapidly forming bruise. It worked almost instantaneously and the pain disappeared completely as she ran forward. She slashed at the neck of the one closest to her, turning her body and using her moment to stab it through the chest. It fell back, lifeless. Lynn lost her balance and fell to her knees next to the body.

Except for her heavy breathing and the creaking of Danse’s power armor, the area was quiet once more. Lynn got back up, moving her shoulder and winching at the stiffness.

“Are you able to continue on?” Danse asked her.

“Yeah, I already stimpacked it. It will be stiff for a few days but I’ll be fine. Those things are tough.” She looked down at the remains, metal parts scattered across the ground and wires sticking out at every angle.

“They are, but they have a weakness to ballistic and physical damage. Your combat knife should give you an advantage here,” Danse said as they walked on, “However, I do suggest you use your pistol on the next encounter. It’s safer to keep them at a distance.”

Lynn nodded, still feeling unsure about actually using a gun. However, she barely had any time to think about it before the wave was upon them a few rooms further on.

“Multiple synth targets, take ‘em down!” She heard Danse yell as she ran to the next room. “Use your gun this time!”

Lynn did as she was told and grabbed the 10mm. It weighed strangely heavy in her hands.

She stretched her arms, trying to take aim. However, the synths were on her sooner than she expected and moving too fast. She yelped, pointed her gun and shot two times, followed by the sound of bullets hitting metal.

The synths were unfazed and proceeded forward. Lynn shot again, this time hitting the wall. In her panic, she swiped with the gun, hitting one of them against the side. It recoiled for just a moment, giving her enough time to hit it again to the neck before shooting it in the chest. The other shot at her, hitting the side of her body. Fortunately, her outfit caught most of the blast and she could turn and shoot it at close range. She hit it right through the head, making it drop with just one shot.

Danse, meanwhile, had taken out the other two. The moment all threats were eliminated, he stormed towards her, power armor echoing through the room.

“Didn’t I tell you to check your damn fire? A few inches higher and you could have hit my visor!”

Lynn gapped in shock, now seeing the dent in the chest plate of his armor. Immediately she pushed the gun back to Danse, hitting him against the chest. He couldn’t react fast enough and the gun fell to the floor, clattering on the steel tiles.

“Then take the gun back! I don’t like guns. I never have and I never will. Just let me do my thing, it’ll be safer for both of us.”

She grabbed her combat knife from her side holster and turned back the door, running ahead and ignoring his protests. If she needed to prove herself, she would, guns be damned.

Lynn didn’t have to wait long. Around the next corner, three synths stood waiting for them. Fuelled by the desire to show Paladin Danse just what she was capable of, she charged.

When Danse reached up to her, the synths lay deactivated at her feet. She looked up to him, panting slightly but with a challenging grin on her face. He just nodded at her as he stepped over the remains.

“Damn synths have compromised most of the facility.” Danse grumbled under his breath. Lynn turned and wanted to walked ahead once more, but Danse stretched his arm out to hold her back.

“Remain vigilant, we’ve got turrets ahead.” He warned her, “I’ll take them out, you stay behind until I give you the all-clear.”

Lynn nodded, still breathing heavily. The combination of stairs, the constant barge of enemies and the fast pace the paladin moved them at was pushing her endurance to the limit.

Danse hadn’t leaned around the corner fully when the first beams of blue laser started shooting at him. With two precision shots he took out the turret. Lynn could hear it fall to the floor with a loud clang.

“Threat neutralised. I doubt it was the last one, so please stay near me for the time being.”

She did just that, trailing after Danse as they walked through the ruined hallways. The Paladin had been right, there were turrets everywhere in the hallways ahead. For a brief moment she regretted throwing the gun to the side, but she knew it was for the best. Her combat rifle had been a decent option because it gave her the opportunity to shoot long range. Pistols – short range weapons – were not meant for her.

They turned one corner to a room flanked by high-class computers. Danse took out the turrets on the ceiling, while Lynn sprinted through the laser fire and took down the synths closest to her and Danse.

“Engine core’s ahead. Should be our final stop.” Danse spoke as he opened the door.

“Please, no more synths.” Lynn muttered, feeling drops of sweat run down her back.

For once, her wish was granted. The rest of the hallway was suspiciously clear of any activity. Lynn trailed after him, happy to be able to catch her breath. Then, suddenly, he stopped. Lynn stumbled and hit his back, barely managing to keep standing.

“Watch your footing… Looks like the power’s out in this section.”

Lynn rubbed the shoulder that hit him, wanting to say something about thinking of others when waltzing around these hallways. In the end, she just sighed and stuck close by him as he lit up the way with the light on his helmet.

They entered a room, and it took Lynn a moment to realise what she was seeing. They were standing on a frail metal railing, halfway up a room…

With a rocket.

“Look at this place.” Danse stated in awe, “Scribes would have a field day in here.”

Lynn stared in shock at what she was seeing. She had no idea there were still companies working on space projects with the war escalating as quickly as it did.

Danse was scouting the room as Lynn stared at the rocket.

“The transmitter should be in the control room at the top of the core, but the railing down and the elevators dead there’s not getting up there. We’ll have to keep heading down for now and find a way to get the facility’s power back online.”

They walked down the metal rails, Lynn leaning near the wall for dear life. The weight of Paladin Danse’s power armor made the fittings creak with every step he took and the fear of crashing down was firmly planted in her mind. Danse still had his power armor, he could deal with landing from a few metres of height. Lynn couldn’t in the slightest and she was very thankful of getting her feet back on the concrete floor.

“Scout the maintenance area off the main chamber. I’ll remain here and watch our backs.”

“Got it.” Lynn walked ahead to the open double doors leading to an area filled with pipes. She followed the rubble-filled hallway to a small control area. There was a computer just underneath a fortified observation window, but no terminal that she could access. In the middle of the computer a big, red button caught her attention, but she doubted it was the solution to fixing the power source.

A gigantic contraption lay on a metal working bench, tools still next to it. Lynn took one look at it and shook her head at what people could think up when bored. Quickly, she walked through the door to the next room.

There were several fusion generators standing idle, all connected to one terminal in the middle of the room. Lynn sighed and put her combat knife away. One of these days she would properly learn to hack, she vowed as she bent over the keyboard.

The screen was filled with random words and characters. Lynn punched in a few keys, which resulted in nothing but an error message.

“Come on you piece of- I don’t have time for this!”

She tried again, picking the words she thought sounded nice.

And to her surprise it worked.

The terminal rebooted to show her a small menu.

“Start auxiliary power, yes!” Lynn said triumphantly. Immediately the generators next to her sprung to life.

Followed by the sound of laser rifles and Danse shouting.

Lynn turned and rushed over to the control area. Through the window she could see him take on at least ten synths, with several more coming down from the railing. Activating the power must have opened a door somewhere, letting more and more enemies in.

While she was wondering what had happened, Danse stopped firing just long enough to shout at her.

“Don’t just stand there, do something!” He yelled at her through the window. With a grunt he butted his gun against the head of a synth that tried to hit him with a batton. She considered walking in there, but her close combat weapon was of no use when surrounded on all sides. If she ran in there, she would only get herself hurt. In a frenzy she looked around for something, anything that could help. For a moment she also considered the enormous gun on the crate behind her, but realistically she knew she would never be able to carry it.

“Push some buttons!” his voice echoed again in anger and frustration, “Improvise, soldier!”

Out of reflex she did just that, pressing the now glowing red button on the control panel in front of her. A countdown commenced as the doors to the main area closed with a loud bang. Lynn yelled in surprise and ran over, slamming her hand on the metal surface. It was futile.

The countdown finished and she ran back to the window, tears of panic stinging her eyes. Surely it wouldn’t...

The rocket fired.

With Paladin Danse still in the room.

Lynn felt her breathing speed up and her heartrate increase to a loud thumping as the synths disintegrated and Danse bend over, his armor glowing in the heat of the blast.

By the time the blast stopped and the doors reopened, she was properly hyperventilating. Of course she had killed before, but never an ally, never someone she actually knew. In her mind Lynn realised how hypocritical it was; all life was equal and it wasn’t for her to judge who deserved death.

She ignored the soot and smell of metal still lingering in the small corridor and ran as fast as she could to the main room. When she turned the corner, the heat burned her eyes but at the moment she couldn’t care. She looked around and saw Danse near the stairs. He was still leaning over, but was carefully breathing and moving. He was alive.

“Oh my God! Are you all right?” She asked the moment she reached him. Out of instinct she reached out to help him and touched his shoulder. The touch of her palm to his armor was brief, but enough to hear her skin sizzle and fill the air with the scent of burning flesh before she could withdraw. Part of her skin, now charred fully, stuck to the shoulder of his armor as she pulled back her hand in reflex. She let out a loud cry of pain, clutching her hand to her chest and trying to control her still increased breathing.

“Got cooked by those flames, but thanks to my power armor I’m still in one piece.” Danse said stoically, but she could hear the strain in his voice. He stood up and looked at her, keeping his distance. Lynn nodded and took a deep breath, trying to get herself in control. The palm of her hand stung as the heat pulled out of the wound. She grimaced when she realised it was her right, the one she used for combat.

“The important thing is that we’re still alive and we have a way to get the transmitter. I suggest you stimpack your hand before we continue on, before the injury can get infected.”

Lynn nodded, but still moved to the elevator before making any effort to grab a stim from her pocket. She realised she was quickly depleting her supply and hoped that there wasn’t going to be much resistance from now on.

Once they entered the elevator, Lynn quickly injected herself near the edge of the burn, doing her best not to move her fingers. The redness faded with an instance, but she could feel the burn lingering within her palm. This was going to scar badly.

When the elevator reached the top, she walked after Danse to what she hoped was the last area. The hope only increased when she saw the synths waiting for them.

Without hesitation, she grabbed her combat knife and ran to the one near the door as Danse shot two through the broken window. Each synth was taken down with a single, well aimed shot and Lynn had the sudden desire to find herself a rifle like that. Shoot from a distance then take out those that remain, it would be much more efficient than running head first in whatever she encountered. Her only concern would be that if she shot laser rifles as well as a laser musket, she would need lessons. A lot of lessons.

The pain was still searing in her hand as she attacked, but at the moment there were other things to worry about. Their survival was more important. To her surprise and relief, they still proved to be an efficient team. The room was cleared without too much resistance.

Once the room was silent, once they could put away their weapons, Lynn looked around the desks. She rolled her eyes at the notification of a successful rocket firing. Of all the things to survive the bombs…

“Damn it, I don’t see the device anywhere.” Danse growled, “Fan out and check the synth remains. They may have been after the transmitter as well.”

Lynn kicked the remains nearest to her, not sure what she should be looking for. To her surprise, a small device escaped the plastic shielding on the synth’s chest.

“Paladin, is this what we’re looking for?” Lynn asked as she knelt down and picket up the device.

“Yes it is. In that case let’s get out of here before more of them show up. We’ll take the service elevator to the surface.” He nodded to an elevator in the corner of the office. Lynn sighed. If only it had been active sooner.

When they got in, Lynn was happy about her decision to leave Dogmeat. This elevator felt even smaller than the previous one, and for once she was happy with her length. Her head didn’t even reach the power armor’s broad shoulders and she fit comfortably underneath.

When they reached the top, Paladin Danse held his hand out, signalling he would go out first and scout the area. Lynn nodded, flexing the fingers of her burned hand. She had her knife at the ready, just in case..

Mere seconds after Danse had stepped out did he call back to her.

“The bunker looks clear. Let’s move out.” Danse put his gun away as he spoke. Lynn let out a sigh of relief and did the same with her combat knife. Her shoulder felt beaten up and her hand still hurt like it hadn’t been stimpacked at all. She followed Danse out, blinking at the light of the setting sun.

“Well, that could’ve gone smoother, but mission accomplished.” Danse stated as he turned to her.

“Smoother? I thought we did fine.” Lynn grinned, holding up her hand. Standing in the light, she could see the stimpack had taken away most of the redness, but the skin of her palm was still raised and ridged. She doubted it would ever go away.

“That sweep was sloppy.” The paladin countered, not hearing the sarcasm in her voice, “We were caught unprepared more than once, which is unacceptable.”

Lynn pouted and wanted to say something, but Danse interrupted her before she could.

“However, your extra... knife, I suppose, gave us the edge we needed. I’m not certain I could have accomplished the mission alone.”

“I thought we worked well as a team.” Lynn smiled, resting a hand on her hip and leaning in.

“Agreed. It a refreshing change to work with a civilian who can follow orders properly.”

She could practically feel the smirk on his face and she had to refrain from rolling her eyes. She looked at the bunker in the distance and sighed. It was nice to work with someone again. Dogmeat was a treasure, no doubt, but having another person fighting by your side was just different. It felt comforting.

“I suppose this is it, then.” Lynn sighed briefly. For some reason disappointment hit her harder than she had expected.

“Not necessarily.”

She turned to him, a surprised but hopeful look on her face.

“First and foremost, if you’ll hand me the Deep Range Transmitter-“

“Oh right!” Lynn looked through the small satchel on her left leg, picking out the device between her other resources. “There may be some flecks of paint on it now, sorry about that.”

She handed it over. Paladin Danse secured it within his armor and turned back to her.

“I’d like to compensate you for your assistance during this operation.”

Lynn wanted to protest that that wasn’t necessary, but Danse held up his hand to stop her.

“From what I’ve observed, a pistol isn’t within your range of combat skills. However, back at the police station you mentioned you once had a scoped rifle. I hope therefore that rifles are more of your forte so I would like to offer you mine. I think you’ll find it useful.”

He handed her the weapon he was carrying, which Lynn accepted with her mouth hanging open in surprise.

“It’s my own personal modification of the standard Brotherhood Laser Rifle. May it serve you well in battle.”

She turned the rifle over in her hands, finally having a chance to look at it properly. The weapon was very balanced, even with the extension on the barrel. It was obviously made by skilled hands and fitted with a lot of care. On the right side of the handle was a small lead plate etched with two words, ‘Righteous Authority’ of which she suspected was the name of the rifle.

“Thank you, Paladin. This will definitely be put to good use. I really appreciate it.” Lynn took the strap she still had from her combat rifle and fitted it as best as she could on her newest weapon. It fitted rather awkwardly on her back since the laser rifle was longer, but for the moment it worked just fine.

“You’re welcome, civilian.”

“Please, after all that we went through, you can at least call me Lynn. Or just Lockwood, if you prefer surnames.” She smiled. He nodded at her in acknowledgement.

“Now, as for the second matter goes, I wanted to make you a proposal. We had a lot throw at us back there. Our op could have ended in disaster, but you kept your cool and handled it like a soldier. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ve got what it takes.”

Lynn leaned her head to the side, curious to see where this was going.

“The way I see it, you’ve got a choice. You could spend the rest of your life wandering from place to place, trading an extra hand for a meagre reward. Or, you could join the Brotherhood of Steel and make your mark on the world. So, what do you say?”

Lynn could feel her head spin. Join the Brotherhood? The thought was incredible, especially from what she had come to understand from Paladin Danse. An organisation that worked on collecting pre-war technology and information. She could get answers from them, find out what happened in the many years she had lost.

“What would be expected of me if I joined?” Lynn asked carefully. If she would get drafted and sent off..

“You’d be under my command, and I’d expect you to follow orders. You’d have access to advance military weapons, as well as your own personal suit of Power Armor should you be interested. But most importantly, you’d have the Brotherhood at your back, ready to spill its blood to keep you alive.”

Lynn wondered for a moment, and she realised that if there ever was a moment to bring it up this would be it.

“I.. I have a personal… thing. Umm,” she stumbled over her words, “My son… He’s missing. Could the Brotherhood help in finding him, or if the occasion arises would I be allowed to continue my search for him?”

Even in his power armor, Lynn could read from his body language that the Paladin seemed surprised at this.

“Of course. Once support will be here, every resource of the Brotherhood will be at your disposal to help locate your son. The Brotherhood looks after their own. And if you need to, I will personally make sure you can continue your search one way or another.”

“Thank you, Paladin. In that case, I would be honoured to join.” Lynn smiled brightly, hope filling her chest once more.

“That’s what I wanted to hear.”

She could hear the smile in his voice and let out a short laugh of relief, even if she was unsure why.

“I will need to return home first. I hope this won’t be an issue?” Lynn asked. She had a load of resources with her that were desperately needed to build the new fortifications. Also, if she was to be going on missions for the Brotherhood, she needed to inform Preston.

Preston. She flinched on the inside. She should have discussed this with him before accepting an offer to join another organisation. He put so much faith in her and their efforts to rebuilt the Minutemen.

“Not at all.” Danse replied, unaware of her sudden realisation, “I understand this is a big step to take. Feel free to take as long as you need.” He paused for a moment, unsure. “If you don’t mind me asking, where exactly are you going? Do you still live in the Vault? Is it still… operational?” He chose his words carefully.

Lynn could feel her expression change once he mentioned the Vault, but she did her best not to show it. “The Vault… There’s no one else. I’m the sole survivor of the experiment those sick-” She bit her tongue and turned her head, doing everything she can to keep her emotions under control. “There is a settlement northwest of here called Sanctuary. It’s relatively new so I doubt you’ll have heard of it yet. That’s my home.”

She couldn’t look him in the eye, afraid that he’ll see right through her.

“I’m sorry to hear about the Vault, and my condolences for those you have lost. Vault-Tec is one of the most powerful examples what the misuse of technology can do. It’s horrible good people like yourself got caught up in their ways.”

Lynn just nodded, trying to fight the tremble in her breathing.

“Take your time to get back home safely. Once you are ready, meet me back at the police station and we’ll discuss the details.”

“Thank you, Paladin. For the rifle and for giving me this opportunity.” Lynn looked up, her eyes slightly bloodshot, but with a thankful smile on her face.

Danse just nodded and turned, walking back to Cambridge. Lynn did the same, turning the other way to Sanctuary.


End file.
